The Ukrainian counteroffensive against the Russian troops is “continuing to make progress” with decisive steps and will soon be supported with deliveries Thanks, Abrams, The US Secretary of Defense said this this Tuesday at the opening of a meeting Kiev’s allies at a military base in Germany.
Representatives from dozens of countries that support Ukraine met at the U.S. base in Ramstein, southern Germany, on the eve of a speech by the Ukrainian president to the U.N. General Assembly in New York to discuss providing more aid against the Russian invasion . Volodymyr Zelensky.
The United States promised at the beginning of the year to deliver more than 31 tanks to the Ukrainian armed forces 43 billion dollars of military aid that Washington has provided since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. “I am pleased to announce that the M1 Abrams tanks that the United States has promised will soon enter Ukraine,” the Pentagon chief said. Lloyd Austin at the beginning of the meeting attended by the new Ukrainian Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov.
A senior US military commander said the first tanks will be shipped in the coming days and the process will be completed in a few weeks. These tanks fire 120mm projectiles. depleted uranium.
This ammunition is capable of doing that penetrate armor, However, their use is controversial because, without clear evidence, it is associated with risks such as cancer and congenital malformations in areas where they were used in previous conflicts.
The decision to supply Abrams tanks to Ukraine was a Change in US position whose defense commanders previously claimed that these tanks were not suitable for Kiev troops due to the complexity of their operation, which required training.
Counteroffensive
Ukrainian forces, armed with military assistance from Western powers, undertook a strenuous and harsh campaign in June Counteroffensive against the Russian fortified lines and have reinforced them in the last two weeks Pressure.
However, this progress was limited and sparked debate about it Military strategy The conflict is ongoing and both the United States and NATO warned that they expected a long conflict.
The Pentagon chief said Monday that the counteroffensive “continues to advance at a steady pace.” Since the counteroffensive began around three months ago, Ukrainian troops have penetrated “several layers” of Russian defenses, emphasized US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley in Ramstein. The Ukrainians are moving through these layers “very slowly” and “maintaining their fighting power,” Milley added.
Germany under pressure
Ukrainian authorities insist they urgently need more aid, and after intense debate several countries agreed delivers F-16 fighter jets to Kiev Americans, although handling these ships requires training and the first units will take several months to become operational. Ukraine is also pushing for Germany to supply it with long-range cruise missiles Bull.
This question has not been clarified, said the German Defense Minister on Monday. Boris Pistorius, It stipulated that “political, legal, military and technical” issues must first be resolved.
The questions that need to be clarified also include the question of whether these weapons may be used without the support of soldiers the Bundeswehr and the Berlin government’s fears that these missiles could reach Russian territory and the conflict would escalate.
“What Ukraine needs most,” said the German minister, who announced a new aid package worth 400 million euros before the meeting. “We’re focused on Ukraine’s most pressing needs, like air defense,” Austin recalled when asked about long-range cruise missiles.
They occur almost every day in Ukraine Bombings Russians with drones. These caused the deaths of six civilians in Kupyansk (east), two more in Kherson (south) and one in Lviv (west) on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian authorities.
In total, the United States and its Western allies have provided $76 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022.
